


Extranet Articles -- Year 2081

by sigmalied



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 09:29:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3723823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sigmalied/pseuds/sigmalied
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A handful of fan-written extranet articles removed from "Goddess Bless the Queen" during edits, preserved here for anyone who enjoyed them and doesn't want them to disappear utterly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Extranet Articles -- Year 2081

**Author's Note:**

> "Goddess Bless the Queen" is a fic exclusively published on my ff.net account by the same username of sigmalied. GBTQ is an Aria/Tevos story with a Liselle plotline running parallel. Initially almost every chapter of GBTQ featured an extranet article/gossip piece to supplement the story's events, but these few articles here were cut for not having complete relevance to the plot. They remain here for anyone interested.

**DAILY SCHOLAR**  — **"Etymology of Asari Surnames: Prefixes"**

_[This educational article has been manually translated into over thirty different dialects by experts in each available language for the most accurate representation of information discussed.]_

Prefixes in asari surnames are as ancient as they are prevalent even in the modern population. The most recent census recorded a statistic of nearly 18% in possession of a prefix, regardless of the consonant; a clear sign that countless family lines have lasted for millennia.

Around [15,000 BCE], it was a common practice for maidens of the northern hemisphere to introduce themselves to others with their full name, followed by 'daughter of' and whomever their mother was. Depending on the region and one's personal accent, the prefix 'daughter of' could vary amongst a handful of—relatively—similarly-sounding consonants such as 'T', 'N', 'D', 'L', and 'R'. But to understand where prefixes came from in the first place, we must take a look at the naming of the asari homeworld itself. One of the first names ever recorded in reference to Thessia as a planet was 'T'Essia' [in a dead dialect originating in what is the modern-day Armali], literally translating into 'daughter of the cosmos'. The name is said to originally have been the renowned poet Nysia Lidora's description of the planet, but the naming caught on in everyday vernacular for its brevity, tact, and lingual beauty. Over the next few centuries, young asari began lengthening their social introductions with an announcement of their immediate heritage, in reference to Nysia's work, thus communicating to their new acquaintances a value in art and literature, which was also a sign of wealth and societal importance.

As that colloquial component of language was adopted by neighboring regions, extending even as far as the central isles of Ianthe [eye-ANTH], the introductions became so common amongst middle-to-high-class individuals that it obtained an aspect of redundancy. Soon, many maidens either dropped the extra addition entirely, or began shortening the cumbersome trend to a more easily spoken sequence, only containing their first names followed by a quick and concise 'daughter of' whichever family house they hailed from [which were often abbreviated in the first place to accommodate for the lengthy title]. Consequentially, people began referring to them as they had introduced themselves in conversation and in documentation; thus their prefixes grew to an attachment often kept into adulthood, and eventually passed onto children who would then preserve the new version of their family name.

The evolution of asari language is best described as based on the attitudes of society as a whole, gradually influencing styles of speech and writing as emotional connotations develop into more distinct, polished descriptions of concepts. T'Essia lost the brief lacuna between the first syllables in favor of a rolling, cohesive, more elegant 'Tessia', whose modern form 'Thessia' was popularized by academics and writers of [4,000 BCE], altered on the grounds that the insertion of the particular, faint sound produced what those intellectuals called a 'breath' or 'life' quality; homage to the land their ancestors walked for ages, sustained only on the growing flora and fauna.

The dissolution of most surname prefixes, save for the prevailing 'T', happened after the first contact between the asari and the salarians. To combat the language barrier separating the two races, many individuals from both peoples worked together to learn each other's languages and teach others so trade and relations could begin to flourish. Most asari texts regarding that era refer to an incident during which an asari described herself to a salarian as a 'daughter of Thessia' [to convey where she was born, as opposed to an asari colony], using her own regional dialect which employed usage of the 'T' prefix, resulting in 'T'Thessia'. The salarian translator, familiar with his own traditions of naming which include geographical and family origins, assumed that 'Thessia' was a component of her name. An adaptation of the salarian naming system was assimilated into asari culture as a result of the famous miscommunication; many asari with prefixed surnames altered them to 'T's in reference to Thessia's oldest known name, T'Essia, regardless of whether they were born on their homeworld or not. Once the new trend found its way into mainstream society, most asari families with prefixes followed suit with the intentions of remaining a part of their collective people and their respectable consensus, to be represented in the developing galactic community.

Naturally, modern transportation allowed for mass migration, effectively dispersing the 'prefixed' demographic about asari space more equally than ever before.

Over the many centuries since the intercultural amendment's first initiation, recent census data only finds a meager few thousand out of all asari having a prefix other than the conforming 'T'. Notable lasting bloodlines include the families N'Yiria, N'Vani, and N'Dara from Thessia's northeastern region of Kynias [KIN-yas]; and the R'Gria and R'Saita from Serrice. Motivations for not adopting the modern 'T' [daughter of Thessia] into their family names remain unknown, although many have suggested the reasons were based on preserving a well-known name or to honor a prominent ancestor who also shared that surname. Statistically, the vast majority of asari families with exotic prefixes were found to be [95% of the time] upper-class, and those who are remain among the wealthiest people on Thessia.

ATTACHMENT: [Read More On Asari Surname Prefixes], [Sources]

.

ADVERTISEMENT:  _Tired of bias in the media? Unable to find a news source without an agenda? Formulate your own informed opinions about events happening in the galaxy around you by reading the Daily Scholar, the most respected, impartial source of information on the Citadel! Our teams of journalists and academics work around the clock to bring you well-researched essays and background information on countless current events to help you distinguish fact from fiction. Want more than five free articles a week? Subscribe to Daily Scholar for unlimited access to our entire database—only 40 credits a month._

 

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**NIRA'S CINEMA REVIEW — "Night Walker"**

_[This response contains sensitive, controversial subjects as well as spoilers for the aforementioned title._ _Reader discretion is advised.]_

 _Night Walker_ , a crime/mystery film directed by Tarya Ralir and starring protagonist Mara Eliasa [played by Neia Tallis], features the story of an an asari detective on Nevos following a grim string of seemingly inexplicable sudden deaths. Though the film reached the third spot in the galactic box office after its first week, raking in an generous 739 million credits, an onslaught of mixed reactions—harsh criticisms, met by others bearing adamant praise—exploded across the extranet.

The controversy originated in multiple sources: the plot, sensitive content, and what some have called a 'glorification of Ardat-Yakshi'. Yes, you read correctly, for those who haven't seen  _Night Walker_ , yet are still sticking around to finish reading this review—Ardat-Yakshi.

The plot itself refrains from revealing the involvement of an Ardat-Yakshi until the middle of the film, but before that, the viewer can do some detective work on their own. By piecing together the circumstantial evidence our charming, beloved, oblivious protagonist fails to immediately decipher [suspected brain hemorrhaging, victims found in their beds, no signs of struggle, etc.], one can usually attribute these mysterious deaths with the chilling work of an Ardat-Yakshi relatively easily.

Now, Detective Mara Eliasa has been suffering from insomnia since the deaths began [as she informs a psychiatrist], probably caused by nightmares of the multiple victims found peacefully in their bedsheets as if passing away in their sleep, which is a fear invading her own subconscious. The positive side of this ailment enables her to conduct more of her investigative work during the hours the murders take place. She takes advantage of her insomnia to go out on the town, asking around bars and nightclubs for suspicious persons or activities, all of whom only give meager aid, and to make matters worse, each of her informants is found dead within a few days.

The investigation remains fruitless. Until, that is, she encounters the enigmatic and beautiful Nephara [played by Endria T'Lias], who provides our detective with copious information, including the rumors of an Ardat-Yakshi. The two go on to talk and become romantically involved [which already invoked cringes because of common stigmas against asari-asari mating], but the social condemnation surrounding the pair is only reduced by the fact that Nephara is heavily suspected of  _being_  the Ardat-Yakshi.

By that point, everyone is aware of Nephara's identity—the murderer. Correct? Not quite. If the film's plot was a source of controversy, it was for this very instance, which I recommend not be spoiled for those who haven't seen it and intend to. For those still sticking around, we find out the truth just when the film has the audience in hysterics as Nephara comes onto Detective Eliasa...

Only for Nephara to spontaneously die during their meld. Upon her death, the film reveals the missing scenes of Eliasa's life: the excuse of insomnia to forge an alibi or explanation for her nighttime activity, seducing and eliminating her other informants [whose provided evidence she destroys], and the continuation of her practice unbeknownst to her coworkers.

Though deceptive and slightly misleading,  _Night Walker_ 's unexpected twist was met with general praise, but that was the end of positive feedback, including from myself. The movie itself was well-scripted, well-cast, and well-shot. Excellent cinematography, soundtrack, and usage of theme produced an avant-garde gem, had it not been for its awful timing. As most know, only six months have passed since a handful of asari children were rescued from a small-colony village where an Ardat-Yakshi manipulated, murdered, and sacrificed almost the entire population for the purpose of self-indulgence and to aid her eventual disappearance.

The surviving children were the only known witnesses, some old enough to tell the terrible stories of what had befallen their town, and to their therapists' horror, the children seemed surprisingly untraumatized, even going so far as to recall the Ardat-Yakshi with reverence. It's unknown whether they will develop mental illnesses of any sort in the future, and for now they remain in psychological therapy and are being considered for adoption.

With this recent tragedy in mind, one can't help but cringe at  _Night Walker_. The romanticization of a serial killer—an Ardat-Yakshi, no less—for entertainment purposes, leaves viewers with the bitter taste of guilt in their mouths by its final scenes, having unknowingly sympathized and fallen for Eliasa's effortless charms through the majority of the film. As a cinematic work,  _Night Walker_  succeeds. As a social statement... it is tasteless and offensive. To give a definitive rating to this film is unwise, and I will not be issuing one because of these unusual, somewhat confounding factors. Buying tickets to view the film is a social statement itself, as it translates into what some people call 'apathy' toward murder victims, and so I leave it up to the readers to decide for themselves what course of action to take when approaching this hazardous work.

 

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**DAILY SCHOLAR — "Fifty Thousand Years"**

Although many books on asari tradition and cultural attitudes have been published throughout the ages, Doctor Dianth Nenteni [Professor of History at the University of Serrice] has just completed a century-long project she has eloquently named  _The Voyage: Examining the Asari Evolution._ The massive treatise has been praised by scholars and critics as a fantastically put-together tome containing a detailed retelling of the asari experience on Thessia to the race's role in modern-day society, all united by Doctor Nenteni's keen perusal and engagingly thorough commentary that interweaves the vast and various historical accounts together into a spectacular understanding of gradual cause and effect. After emerging from the archives and ancient libraries to publish her e-book, Doctor Nenteni gently declined to discuss her experience in gathering all her information and consulting fellow scholars, calling the necessary ordeal 'too tedious and boring to be sensational', and that 'it will all be available for the reader to skim over or ignore as a postscript'. Instead, she generously sent the  _Daily Scholar_  an abridged peek at her work, to give our readers—casual, amateur, and professional scholars alike—a better idea about what they can expect to be discussed in her book.

.

**A Simplified Preview of _The Voyage_ 's Content, by Dr. Dianth Nenteni**

_Geography Influencing Culture_

Thessia's unique climate and geography may have been the most important factor in galvanizing asari culture as we understand it in both remembrance of the distant past, and what well-ingrained remnants we carry in our genes and instincts to this very day. The visage of the asari homeworld is widely known for bearing thin, winding continents surrounded by seas and mottled by massive lakes, miniature oceans, and athwart with ample rivers bleeding into land like too many veins, leaving the average ratio of shores as compared to 'drier' regions disproportionately larger than what is found on most other race's homeworlds. Although the origins of society spawning along bodies of water is a commonality shared amongst almost all other sapient life discovered to date, the asari's special abundance of water left them without developing a cultural perspective of water as being sacred. It was not sacred because there was always little fear of drought. Water immersed the asari; became completely integrated in daily activity with nearly as much prominence as basic infrastructure and dwellings. As we see today, most of Thessia's largest and oldest cities can be found within a few miles of a coastline, or on the coastline itself.

The development of irrigation was immediate. Near-homogeneous maritime weather kept the climate mild—cool in summers, warm in winters—enabling many crops of early agriculture to be grown and harvested almost year-round. Thessia's relatively small, warm oceans held gentler tides for the lack of a moon, and always kept species of well-adapted fish within reach. Thus the omnivorous diets of early asari, and even today's asari, often contain fish as a staple; other components of early diets as still seen today consisted of fleshy fruits and vegetation as products of the successful, rapidly-growing sophistication of irrigation techniques, only rivaled by the blooming technology of boats, which began carrying travel and trade freely and swiftly about the planet around [40,000 BCE].

When we think of our ancestral asari, a few archetypal images come to mind: a painting of a polished marble pavilion or huge, crescent-shaped patios with curving divans of similar polished stone overlooking a lake or the sea, populated by asari in beautiful robes and dresses lounging around upon cushions while holding glasses of rich wines in their hands. Or, in the case of huntresses and warriors, proud-faced portraits of those depicted in masterfully treated and tailored leather garbs made from pelts and decorated by personal emblems communicating clan or place of birth. These images were true for many, astonishingly. 'Poverty' as we know it was a very recent concept to asari.

There were no shortages of wages, or industries to employ thousands of workers disassociated from their own identity. Food and goods were created as needed, as there was no reason to make any more than what the community required. If one asked the typical hunter or fisher if they ever thought of bringing in extra yields to sell or trade to neighboring villages [depending on whether they shared the same regional currency], she would likely return the inquiry with one of her own, the genuine curiosity of, "Do they not have their own hunters and fishers? Are they hungry over there?"

If one said 'no' in response, the interviewed asari would likely go on to laugh and say, "Then why would I work longer and take away from my own leisure time?"

As a consequence of this common attitude, asari technological advancements grew at glacial paces when juxtaposed with other races of the known galaxy. Life revolved around comforts and leisure; sitting by the sea, by the lake, on the beautiful shores of peninsulas after finishing the day's labor. Being overly ambitious or industrious was actually perceived as a childlike foible; it was the mentality of a  _maiden_ , adult asari would often say. It was behavior indicative of being fresh from the womb, from finding oneself in a vast and fascinating world, still gathering her bearings and steadily familiarizing herself with existence. It was thought that when an asari matured, her life-essence [i.e. the  _soul_ , or an animating force as defined by whatever variance of belief system the region held] had symbiotically intertwined with the rest of the world, harmonious and understanding, finding peace in the current reality. And so the adult would settle into that leisurely lifestyle; not stoic, but accepting, and preferring to accumulate further knowledge and realization of the universe rather than trying to exploit it to one's personal benefit, which was regarded as 'industrious', or 'maiden-like' activity.

_Community_

Water, water, water—much more abundant than blood and tears. Communal bath houses exemplify the relationship between water and the asari socially-inclined dynamic. As a luxury disguised as a practical facility, bath houses were highly social places owned and maintained by the community rather than any single financial master. This consummate example illustrates the broader structure of community—a construct based on the virtues of cooperation and taking care of one another as if all were family. Fishers took their hauls to markets and bought textiles, other dietary staples, and desired goods with the money they made. Any surplus consumables were often preserved for monthly galas; parties with no essential purpose save for  _more_  socialization revolving around dancing, drinking, rumor, courtship, games, and biotic contests held for the pleasure of multiple townships, encouraging bonds to be forged with neighbors [the geographically further apart from oneself, the better; as was often deemed]. Historically, Janiris has always been regarded as the most amorous of asari-conceived holidays, specifically known in the isles of Ianthe for being the propagator of orgies [Unfortunately, I will not be discussing that detail in this abridged essay. That, along with sexuality, the fabled beginnings of the utilization of biotics in that respect, a short physiological lecture, and other topics of the ilk will be discussed in the complete e-book version].

The multitudinous micro-governments flourished across Thessia under this conviction of welfare-prioritized government, but there is some debate over whether it was successful solely from the inherent nature of the asari people, or because of a universal social phenomenon observed among all intelligent life, where it is often believed that the smaller the community, the easier it is to keep poverty at bay; for it would be vastly more difficult to see a hungry individual with whom you grew up without sharing your meals or even home with them if you needed to, as opposed to seeing an impoverished stranger to whom you have no personal attachment, let alone a vestige of trust. Naturally, even further conjecture and debate stems from this, often involving the sensitive issue of whether or not joining the galactic community 'corrupted' or even 'destroyed' asari prosperity by introducing modes of 'hierarchical-representational' governance and degrees of private enterprise that Thessia had never seen before.

Instead of monetary emphasis, and while discarding the notion of exclusivity that generally comes with luxury and leisure, asari were most concerned with finding friends to share their worldly and material pleasures with, therefore it was in the interest of many to keep their communities afloat and together. Motivation was also found within inter-community correspondences, where neighboring villages or towns would boast about the utopian merit of their homes, lack of want, the health of young children, and the merriment found at their parties. The 'boasting' was an incredibly maternal practice; it was the pride of a caretaker, clutching her brood—her home—lovingly to her breast, fretting over its state, keeping it well-nourished and well-clothed enough to be proudly introduced and inevitably compared to the work of other mothers.

 

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**DAILY SCHOLAR — "Modern Advances in Neurobiology with Dr. Calantha Ladas of Serrice Hospital"**

_A livestream of the Daily Scholar's science and technology segment, airing every morning at 07:00 GST; hosted by Jaëto Oredi Tsalan-Vat Cilt Nadin Tezlan. Today's topic, discussed with guest Dr. Calantha Ladas: recent strides in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms behind one of the most complex and enigmatic biological processes known to modern society: asari reproduction, and in extension, the analogous and/or similar reproductive systems of Thessia-native organisms._

**TN:**  Good morning, scholars. Today's conversation is going to be a delight, especially for all our biologist subscribers. Here with me is Dr. Calantha Ladas, multiple-doctorate recipient, neurobiologist, and head of the maternity department at the galaxy-class Serrice Hospital. It's great to have you here, Dr. Ladas.

 **CL:**  Thank you for having me.

 **TN:**  So I'm going to jump right into this, because this is some really fascinating stuff—in your recently-published scientific journal you talked about the fetal development of asari. Can you establish a bit of background about the nature of asari reproduction for us, and where the science is at these days?

 **CL:**  Absolutely. It's no secret that the mechanisms of asari reproduction, even in this modern age, still have grey areas and points of intense contention. It's not an easy thing to study. We don't produce gametes like other races, not like your haploid-diploid people, Tezlan. We don't have gametic cells with genetic material in them to extract and analyze in order to better understand the actual modes of inheritance. All we have to go off of is post-conception sequencing that we can compare with the genotypes of parents. Although this can tell us a lot about how effectively asari translate the genome of other races and incorporate it into their children, it still doesn't give us the complete picture of how melding  _physically_  taps into genetic material. Over the past few centuries I've overseen the delivery of... at least a  _thousand_  asari newborns at Serrice Hospital, and not one ever had a single non-asari nucleotide present in their cells.

 **TN:**  What's known about the mechanism so far? Melding, right? How does melding work?

 **CL:**  Melding is, essentially, neurological networking. It is electrochemical, and made particularly conductive by the eezo in our bodies. Because Thessia is saturated in element zero, this made  _neurological_  rather than gametic reproduction more favorable during the evolution of life on Thessia. To state this simply, and hopefully elegantly, abundant eezo provided our ancestral species with a shortcut that made internal and external fertilization obsolete. Nature  _always_  takes the path of least resistance. Whereas most other known races in the galaxy produce two genetically sex-marked halves of a diploid to increase diversity without compromising or complicating the act of reproduction in general, biological sexes other than the daughter-producing mother organism were simply unnecessary on Thessia. Eezo had facilitated the evolution of neurons with high plasticity and just the right amount of electrochemical propensity for adjacent neurons during a meld, which is why asari can meld with any species with an ion-based neuro-system. But as I mentioned before, the least understood mechanism in all this is the biochemical translation of foreign genetic material into asari genetic material, and the subsequent imprinting of that genetic information on specialized neural tissue lining the interior of the womb, which begins developing into the offspring's central nervous system.

 **TN:**  So the nervous system develops first, but while it's still actually part of the mother's? Can she feel it?

 **CL:**  To an extent, but it's very rudimentary and most documented instances of explicitly 'feeling' what the daughter does have only occurred when rare developmental issues arise. Nervous systems are connected for about six months, and after they separate—this process in part leads to the anatomy of the crest, if I might add—the daughter is only umbilically connected to her mother for the rest of the pregnancy. This is partially why abortions are very uncommon amongst my people. Undergoing one too early introduces the risk of damaging neural tissue, which in some cases can lead to paralysis in the abdomen or legs. But after those first months we inevitably enter a controversial area concerning the ethics of ending the pregnancy. But the main reason why abortions are so rare for asari is due to the amount of agency we have in conceiving in the first place.

_[Please subscribe to Daily Scholar to skip this advertisement...]_

 

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_On the cover page of an issue of the extranet magazine Badass Weekly dating back a previous year is depicted the image of Aria T'Loak standing in her private Afterlife lounge, arms folded across her chest as she speaks to a small audience of mercenaries; head momentarily turned to face the brave journalist requesting the shot. The turian and krogan hirelings tower over Aria, but their deference to her ultimate authority remains patent and invariable. They stand in a bath of red diffusing throughout the lounge, wrapped in heavy shadows—and creating a full-body halo of fuchsia-and-mauve light emanating behind the pirate queen of Omega is Afterlife's central pillar of flashing advertisements rising through the circular platforms upon which silhouettes of dancers strut. It is a monument erected in the name of influence and consumption. It is a monolith of omnipotent wealth, casting its unceasing gaze upon all who tread within the nightclub and Aria T'Loak's ever-expanding domain._

**BADASS WEEKLY – "QUEEN OF PIRATES, SAHRABARIK, AND OMEGA"**

_[This spotlight has been brought to you by a collaboration of Badass Weekly and our good friends from the Daily Scholar]_

Last month, crimelord Aria T'Loak celebrated a full century of her uninterrupted de facto leadership claim over Omega. For most born to species of shorter longevities, memories of a time when T'Loak's syndicate was nonexistent resemble fantastical fiction, as her current reign has been so indomitable, organized, and prosperous that the asari warlord is now widely perceived as a permanent fixture instead of the traditional transient lives of previous regimes. Sahrabarik traffic and commerce is completely at Aria T'Loak's mercy, relying on her generous policies of free, unregulated trade; and within the station itself, new districts are seized and annexed into her territory every decade or so on average.

The whole galaxy witnesses Aria T'Loak's prowess. Her face is emblazoned upon countless pages on the extranet and her name periodically resurfaces in news articles from all over, telling tales of her latest conquests and even, as seen within the last century, her precarious standoff with the Citadel Council who are unanimously regarded as the most powerful assembly in the galaxy.

So aside from all that we see on the surface—the unmistakable attire, the clashes with rival organizations, bitter ideological feuds with superpowers—who is Aria T'Loak? She is the most well-known individual on Omega, revered by many, despised by some, and feared by all; yet so very little is known about who she is in person. Aria T'Loak has reduced (or elevated) her entire existence to that of an icon, completely removed from any family, distinct predilections, and personal philosophies she might have. Even her very name is highly suspected to be a pseudonym atop a mountain of other previously shed identities.

One popular theory murmured over the extranet regarding the origin of Aria T'Loak's name is the proposition that "T'Loak" is derivative of Karasi Ataloak, who is known as one of the first—and only—Thessian warlords of ancient asari history. The name "Ataloak" roughly translates from the dead dialect into "sun daughter", and even when adjusting for millennia of grammatical evolution, "T'Loak" translates into the very same phrase when "Loak" is read in context of its original definition.

Ataloak debuted as a simple marauder, rounding up young capable asari with promises of riches if they joined her in robbing passing caravans. For centuries Ataloak preyed upon traveling merchants on land and on water; ambushing from roadside trees, and swiftly surrounding boats traversing the ramose waterways with her nimbler, smaller ships. Their plunder left Ataloak and her followers swimming in coveted goods, eventually inspiring the warlord to turn her gaze upon larger targets. As anticipated, petty raids gradually matured into full-scale sieges, entrancing the masses with her grandiose image as she arrived, as depicted in surviving art: a powerful asari mounted on the back of a rearing  _taladat_  [extranet link: TALADAT; Thessian fauna. Quadrupedal, amphibious, five-toed, three-eyed omnivore recognized for its long legs, agility, and intelligence. Domesticated by the ancient asari for riding], her body clad in fabulous robes tailored for athleticism beneath plates of light armor with intricate etchings in its leather, elegantly-crafted blades at her hip, jewels upon her fingers and in bands around her wrists, limbs, and one around her collar to support her golden ornament of twin, parallel, flattened bars held horizontally behind the base of her skull, symbolizing sunlight grazing the horizon.

At her height, Ataloak had successfully become the first individual to thrust most of southwestern Thessia into a state of war as independent provinces and their cities were forced to forge alliances to hinder the unchecked advance. All knew her dreams of a united empire. All heard stories of warhorns at dawn, the granular hum of wraithlike taladat racing across the fields, the marshes, winding through the woods to come to the summit of a strategic hill overlooking a town and its trembling defenders. A single hand would rise from Ataloak, following the pattern of the coming sun, and her notorious salute would find their eyes—her palm facing outward, fingers evenly fanned out like rays of light, accompanied by the words, "The sun touches you," in reference to the imminent nature of Ataloak's empire in that, like the business of the sun itself, eventually the entire world would be touched by her influence in an arrival of a proverbial dawn.

Karasi Ataloak was approximately twelve hundred years of age (one of the longest-living asari recorded in history) when she was finally slain in battle by Matriarch Yuinta Niasenda, who had never once seen a battle of any breed before that day. They two engaged as their taladat-mounted forces met in a shallow river. Matriarch Yuinta supposedly threw her spear at Ataloak only to have it lifted away by biotics, inspiring her to divert from her jousting-course with the warlord. The two rode around one another, weaving through the violence screaming around them, and realigning themselves anew as Yuinta rearmed herself with a short sword and Ataloak with her longer stave. When they neared, Ataloak lowered her stave in preparation for an attack, confident that her weapon would pierce her enemy long before the matriarch's would reach her. At this moment, Matriarch Yuinta biotically raised her previously-lost spear from the riverbed, sending it flying at Ataloak without warning and impaling her through the chest. Scribes supposedly present at the battle record the sight of Ataloak's taladat riding off in confusion with its deceased master no longer able to guide it, until the warlord eventually fell from its back and landed in the water.

With Ataloak dead, her forces slowly disintegrated over the next century into their former independent city-states, and Thessia entered another age of peace that lasted for eight thousand years before the next incident of large-scale war.

Whether or not this is truly the origin of Aria T'Loak's name remains unconfirmed, and the theory has been criticized by some as being a poor standard for the Omegan crimelord to live up to since Ataloak never attained her empire. In response to this, some have claimed that Aria T'Loak is merely aiming to pick up where her namesake left off. Unfortunately, until [or if at all] T'Loak herself is willing to speak about her name, the galaxy will be left in the dark indefinitely.

 

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**DAILY SCHOLAR — "New Dilinaga Poem Found in Capsule on Tritogenith's Moon"**

Translation of [untitled] follows:

.

_What light illuminates my core?_   
_Utter delight in creating more_   
_What burning concept do molecules conceive?_   
_Molds turning stars into suns that see_   
_What ancestral speck commands its descendant's bones_   
_to yield to these warm and primordial throes?_   
_What force primes my body and enamored mind_   
_to forge such vital need for the sake of design?_

.

 


End file.
